Insect Update on Cotton and Soybeans

As of 8:45 am Monday, June 10, all is quiet on the insect front. Rainfall during the past week has given cotton a growth spurt. Youngest cotton is 3 to 5 true leaves and overall has little thrips injury. Older cotton is at the 5 to 9 true leaf stage. Many fields are between the thrips injury stage and the stage where we begin to focus on plant bugs. This window is about 7 to 10 days long. Mid April planted cotton already has 2-3 pinhead or larger squares and should be scouted for adult plant bugs. No aphids or spider mites have been reported.

We will be conducting scouting schools in Autaugaville (central AL) and Headland (Wiregrass area of SE AL) this week. In addition to cotton and soybean insects (Kudzu bugs) we will also have presentations on cotton disease and resistant weed management.

Kudzu bug adults are attacking early planted soybeans in the Prattville, Tallassee and Auburn areas. At present our treatment threshold is 5 adults per plant.

June 2013 Scouting Schools

2013 Alabama Scouting Shortcourses Announced

 

The following cotton scouting shortcourses will be conducted by Auburn Extension staff:

 

June 11: Autaugaville, Alabama, County Ag Center, Highway 14, for central and west Alabama

 

June 12: Headland, Alabama, Wiregrass Research and Extension Center, for southeast Alabama

 

June 18: Belle Mina, Alabama, Tennessee Valley Research and Extension Center, for northern Alabama

 

Cotton and soybean insects (description, recognition, life history and damage), seasonal occurrence, management recommendations and threshold levels will be discussed. Identification and scouting for cotton diseases will also be covered.

 

At the Headland and Belle Mina locations a special section will also focus on managing glyphosphate resistant weeds.

 

Commercial pesticide applicator recertification points will be awarded. Each program begins at 8:30 AM and will conclude after lunch with in-field visits.

 



Announcing Alabama Scouting Schools

Announcement: Alabama Cotton Scouting Shortcourses Meeting Sites and Dates

• June 12^th (Tuesday) 2012; Autaugaville, Alabama- County Agricultural Center
• June 13^th (Wednesday) 2012; Headland, Alabama- Wiregrass Research Center
• June 19^th (Tuesday) 2012; Belle Mina, Alabama- Tennessee Valley Research Center

All meetings begin at 8:30 AM

Contact Person: Dr. Tim Reed (256-627-3450) or Dr. Ron Smith (334-332-9501)

Note: Dr. Austin Hagan will discuss cotton diseases at the Autaugaville and Headland sites. Dr. Tim Reed will cover soybean insects at all three sites.

Following are thirteen questions that represent the type of information that will be discussed.

1.      Why are grasshoppers easier to control in March/early April than May?

2.      If a foliar is needed for thrips suppression, when is the ideal stage of cotton to apply it?

3.      If you see damage to cotyledon stage cotton (no till) planted behind corn residue, what is the most likely culprit: snails, slugs, or pill bugs?

4.      What is the best method to determine when plant bug controls are needed in pre-bloom cotton?

5.      How would you measure the number of tarnished plant bugs in post bloom cotton?

6.      You are at week four or five of bloom, what would be the threshold for stink bugs?

7.      Under what conditions (situation) would a phosphate insecticide give better control of stink bugs than a pyrethroid?

8.      What new thrips insecticide entered the market this season and does not flare aphids or spider mites?

9.      Suppose you find high numbers of fall armyworms feeding on grass in your cotton field border- should you prepare to spray the cotton?

10.   How old does a green boll need to be to be safe from stink bug damage?

11.   Under what conditions would aphids be more of an economic pest or problem?

12.   At what stage is cotton normally beyond thrips injury?

13.   How long should you wait to evaluate control behind a stink bug spray?